Royals' duo of rotation contenders can build their cases in first Cactus League games

As the Kansas City Royals get set to embark on 2026 spring training games starting on Friday, it will be a pair of aspiring rotation members who will get the first shots at making strong impressions on the powers that be who will determine who breaks camp in just over a month's time.

As MLB.com's Anne Rogers reported Wednesday, the Royals will open their Cactus League season with Stephen Kolek getting the first start against the Rangers, followed by Ryan Bergert getting the ball on Saturday against his former Padres.

While many may think the Royals rotation is all but settled with Cole Ragans, Seth Lugo, Michael Wacha, Kris Bubic and Noah Cameron grabbing the five slots, there's still some reason to believe that perhaps that five may look different come March 27 when they open the 2026 regular season in Atlanta.

So, while it may be early, perhaps this weekend is the perfect opportunity for Bergert and Kolek to start building a case for why they deserve to break camp in this pitching staff.

Stephen Kolek and Ryan Bergert can set the pace in Catus League opening weekend amid contested Royals rotation battle

Now, there's no denying that the first three spots of the rotation are all but spoken for with Ragans and the veteran duo of Lugo and Wacha. And if All-Star Kris Bubic is still a Royal by Opening Day, he seems poised to be among that top four.

This leaves the fifth spot.

There's no denying that after his rookie season, where he finished just outside the AL Rookie of the Year finalist conversation, Noah Cameron is the clear frontrunner for that final spot.

However, as good as his debut season was, sophomore slumps are real things so Cameron will have to perform this spring if we wants claim what seems to be his spot to lose.

And according to a report from Rogers following the Royals acquisition of fellow starter Mitch Spence last week, that fifth spot in the rotation appears to be up for grabs.

"The Royals are looking at the fifth spot as a competition -- with Noah Cameron likely having the upper hand because of how he pitched last year as a rookie," Rogers wrote. "But there are also several other starters trying to earn that spot."

Then there's the elephant that's been in the room all offseason of whether or not the Royals will trade Kris Bubic. While it seems unlikely, some still believe that if a spring training trade does occur in MLB this spring, Bubic might be the guy to be dealt.

If that's the case and the Royals pull of some big business in spring training, then perhaps there will be two spots up for grabs in the starting staff in Bubic's absence.

On top of this, the thought of a potential occasional six-man rotation is looming after Matt Quatraro's comments from camp on Wednesday

And of course, while Royals fans will be praying their health luck continues, injuries are always a thing, so names like Bergert and Kolek could be leaned upon if an unfortunate scenario like this occurs.

Of all the starters in camp this spring beyond the perceived top five, Bergert and Kolek seem to be the next best two, given how strong they looked in their first appearances with the Royals in 2025.

In eight starts with the Royals after the trade deadline, Bergert was a respectable 4.43 ERA arm. But between both San Diego and Kansas City, the soon-to-be 26-year-old crafted quite the rookie campaign, with a 3.66 ERA across 76.1 innings pitched.

Then there's Kolek, who amid the Royals late-season injury woes was a godsend, stepping into the staff and tossing to a 1.91 ERA, 0.76 WHIP and .167 BAA in five starts.

There's plenty that still needs to be sorted this spring and one start at the beginning of Cactus League game action is certainly not enough to make any decisions on.

That being said, getting off to a good start is important in most aspects of life and in this case in particular would certainly go a long way to placing a good taste in Royals decision markers' mouths.